


Hold Me Close Through Time

by attxntionreadxr



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, Unus Annus - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Mark Fischbach Egos, Unus Annus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:28:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25962847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/attxntionreadxr/pseuds/attxntionreadxr
Summary: Immortal beings Unus and Annus compete in the Centenary Intergalactic Battle, sending the universe into chaos. Enemies turn into grudging partners as they fight to stop the clock which counts down the inevitable destruction of their universe.
Relationships: Unus/Annus
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. And So It Begins

The sound of a pen drop echoes.

Golden papers are adrift in the bright grey nowhere. Annus sits with xyr hands folded quietly, watching the gold glint in the light from the suns. Gently, xey let xemself move in the air, flipping backwards slowly with xyr legs still crossed under xem.

Xyr world was utterly silent, not a single breath could be heard for miles as every resident waited with bated breath. 

A single bell tolled in the distance and a smile alighted on Annus’ face.

The results.

Reaching upwards, xyr fingers grasped a golden sheet and brought it under xyr gaze as xey skimmed over the black font.

”You’ve been chosen” was all the paper said, and Annus let out a laugh.

”Annus!” The planet chanted as xey flew up into the air, spinning around once to glance at xyr peers.

”Thank you!” was all zey answered, the smooth gold sheet clutched in xyr hand as though it would fly away.

A door materialized in from of zem, pale wood with a pristine silver handle, almost like the door to a child’s room. 

Reaching out a tanned hand, Annus grasped the cold metal before turning it and stepping through.

A rush of tornado-like wind wrapped zem in its embrace and rugged him down and away from zyr world. Zey closed xyr eyes, wishing a silent goodbye to the grey mist of his home, praying to return soon.

**_— « memento mori » —_ **

“Unus, you’ll be late!” A voice shouted, hearing against their ears. 

“Fuck off!” They yelled back, rolling over nonetheless. It was Selection Day and it sucked. They’d only entered for the glory, fame, riches, you name it. Anything to get away from home, honestly. 

Unus stepped over a pile of clothes and closed the drapes rather more violently than necessary, blocking out the damned grey light. It reminded them of charcoal and pencil marks, which wasn’t pleasant.

A faint yell could be heard from the kitchen, and Unus recognized their name.

”You won!” They heard their mother repeat.   
  


Suddenly time stopped for them. Everything brightened, and they held up an arm to protect their eyes. Gravity shifted as they felt their feet leave the ground. 

“Finally,” They breathed, the air feeling sharp and warm as it flowed through then. Their bedroom door lightened, turning a wonderful bright white as their handle shone a beautiful silver. They had the sudden urge to capture a picture, but before they could grab their camera, the door flung open and wind sucked them through into the blank space inside.

They yelled once and reached out to grab the doorframe, their legs waving wildly in the torrent and their fingers digging in helplessly as the force became too much and gave way.

Unus had one last glance as their small, dark cluttered room, plastered with band posters over their ratty mattress before the door slammed closed and faded into the distance as he fell through the great white nowhere.

**_— « memento mori » —_ **

A faint scream could be heard and Annus looked around curiously, searching for where the sound was coming from. Xey sat in the waiting room patiently, the rickety cushioned chair feeling unsteady underneath xem. A picture of a lone sailboat was mounted on the wall above a shimmering door, directly across from the two chairs. Another, bigger set of doors was directly to Annus’ right, darker wood with a gold plated sign. 

Annus stared at the sailboat serenely, awaiting the arrival of his competitor. 

The scream grew louder suddenly and the shimmering door was thrust open. Annus shifted xyr gaze to the blank space, watching as another being fell through. 

They landed unsteadily on their feet and wobbled slightly, a panicked look on their face. A hand of mist appeared behind them and raised a rather solid looking finger. Annus smiled as the finger jabbed into the back of the other being, sending them flying across the room and landing in a heap beside xem, the door slamming shut of its own accord.

Annus burst into a fit of laughter at the sight of them and Unus glared at the floor, using their free hand to push themselves on to their knees. 

“Shut up,” They said angrily, holding their side gingerly as a shooting pain alighted in their abdomen.

”Sorry,” Annus responded, holding out a hand to help the obviously younger being up. Unus slapped it away and stood up by himself, wincing. “You’re my competition...?” 

Annus looked the being up and down, raising a skeptical eyebrow. They were dressed in a black suit, the opposite of xemself. But what was jarring was how young they looked. Their jaw wasn’t as soft as xey expected and their eyes had a younger, more childlike glint. This being looked like a human teenager who hadn’t gone through its aging quite yet, their brown hair styled in such a way that made them look more unruly and wild, not a hair on their chin.

Unus bristled at Annus’ obvious jab. The other looked... odd. This being was older than they were clearly, xyr chin dusted with a faint beard which made xyr jaw quite defined. Xyr black suit was cut in a way that accentuated the body’s muscles and Unus caught themself staring avidly.

“Yes, and you’re mine?” They continued, adopting the same disbelieving tone. “Are you sure you can fight without breaking your bones?” Annus’ smile flickered out, and the other being seemed to become more of a nuisance than a joke.

”Let’s not get hostile,” Xey decided to reply despite wanting to insult Unus right back. This was xyr competition, and xey didn’t want to get ahead of xemself.

Of course, if they had to spend anymore time together, this casual rivalry could turn into something disastrous...


	2. Beginning of the End

Silence blanketed the room as each being shifted away from the other. Annus could smell how old the room must have been, dust drifting through the air in smokey tendrils. Xey reached out to cup xyr hand around a cloud, surprised to find that it left a damp mark on xyr palm, sparkling in the dim electric lights. 

Waiting wasn’t as torturous as they’d previously expected, both of them watching as the large door they’d arrived through faded into the pale walls. Faint voices could be heard through the other door, and unseen speakers played quiet music. 

All that could be done was listen and wait, firmly looking away from each other. 

Unus was the first to look up at the opening door, watching the handle turn slowly. Annus followed suit, considerably more serene. 

A man stepped out of the doorway, closing it behind him. 

He was unsettling, his skin completely stark white, no colour could be seen. A strong jawline was framed by long black hair which looked greasy yet well-kept. The man exuded an unidentifiable energy which made Unus and Annus immediately on their guard. 

“Come,” was all he said, his voice surprisingly high and breathy. Unus cast a glance at Annus, but Annus was already standing up and following the man, xyr hands clasped behind xyr back. Unus followed suit quickly, brushing off the dust from his pants quickly. 

The man pushed open the door, holding it for them, thin fingers grasping the wood as he nodded at both beings. 

“Thank you,” Annus said, nodding back. Unus stayed silent.

Inside was more or less the same as the waiting room, walls just as pale and plain. Two chairs were placed in front of a simple dark wooden desk and they sat down. 

“Welcome, I hope your arrival was pleasant,” The man smiled thinly, looking at Unus and Annus both in turn. Annus held back a chuckle as xey cast a glance at Unus, but Unus paid no attention. Their disturbed gaze was fixated on the man’s eyes.

He had no irises, no pupils. It was all just the whites of his eyes, gleaming unsettlingly. Unus swallowed heavily, holding back nausea. Everything about this man screamed  _ ‘wrong’ _ . 

“It was, thank you for asking,” Annus replied after a short silence, frowning at the rudeness of xyr opponent. Xey nudged Unus with an elbow, and they seemed to snap out of it, jerking sideways.

“Yeah, thanks,” Unus mumbled, casting his own eyes back down to the floor. 

“Wonderful!” The man clapped his hands together and smiled even wider. “My name is Kolumens and I am one of the organizers of the Centenary Intergalactic Battle, of which you two have been selected. I’m going to be overseeing one of you as you train this week and battle! Any questions?”

Annus cleared xyr throat before speaking, still wary of Unus. 

“We won’t be training or sleeping in the same quarters, I hope?” 

“Of course not, don’t worry about a thing!” Kolumens answered, waving a hand. He seemed more animated as he spoke. “You both will be-”

A louder voice interrupted and all three beings turned to look back at the doorway.

“Kolumens, you’ve had your time.” This being said impatiently, sweeping a blonde hair away from her face. “You may speak with Unus again while you are helping him train. Now get out.” Kolumens paused for a moment, unseeing eyes narrowing at the woman before smiling again.

“No need to be rude, Peebles.” He laughed, patting Unus on the shoulder as he passed, not noticing their flinch. The door closed softly behind him and Peebles, as she’d been called, flicked a switch that seemed to make the door transparent and thicker. 

She turned again to face the two beings in front of her and smiled. 

“Please forgive me, Kolumens wasn’t supposed to do the introductions.” She said. “I’m Peebles, as he said.”

“Nice to meet you,” Both beings chorused together. 

“Kol will be overseeing your training, Unus,” She continued, moving to stand by the desk. “And I will be overseeing your training, Annus.” 

Unus nodded, already more relaxed in Peebles’ presence. 

“May I request you instead of Kolumens, Peebles?” They asked, crossing their fingers behind their back in hopes of her response. Peebles laughed and nodded.

“Glad to see you don’t like him either.”

“Thanks,” Unus sighed, turning their head slightly to catch Annus’ gaze. Xe was looking from Peebles to Unus, a slight frown on xyr face. It was impossible to guess what xey were thinking so they sat back and met Peebles' gaze again. 

“Do either of you have any other requests before I show you to your rooms?” She asked, running a hand through her hair, which Unus noticed was only dyed blonde. Unus and Annus exchanged glances before shaking their heads. 

“Alright, Unus come with me, and Kolumens will be back for you Annus,” She responded, laying a hand on his shoulder and jerking her chin at the door. Unus stood and stuck their tongue out at Annus, who glared back.

\--  **_memento mori_ ** \--

It wasn’t long until Unus and Annus were settled into their respective quarters. Their rooms were exact replicas of their homes, Unus’ room a dark, smokey-smelling room while Annus’ was plain and clean. 

Unus fiddled with the latch on the door in his ceiling, tugging on it until something clicked and it swung open. Desperate for a breath of fresh air, they grabbed the edge and pulled themself through, careful not to close it for fear of it locking them out. The night sky was bright with large stars and galaxies, the roof rough against their knees. 

Mountains stretched out for miles, lush valleys decorated with beautiful greenery which was illuminated by the moon. The training centre was small and in the middle of nowhere on this foreign planet. Unus’ shorts and t-shirt were made of soft cotton, and as they sat on the gravelly roof, their clothing cushioned their seating. 

Unus laid back and stared up at the sky, wondering if they could see their galaxy. This world seemed so vast in comparison to their tiny home planet. It comforted him to know that this planet was bigger, it made them feel secure in their smallness.

The sound of another latch opening was deafening in their silence, and they turned their head to see Annus’ dishevelled hair poking through a door a few feet away. They watched xem appear through it, xyr suit swapped for a white muscle tee and black shorts.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Annus said as xey noticed Unus lying close.

“Not at all, besides, it's not like I can stop you,”

Annus nodded, shifting to sit crossed legged beside them.

“Needed fresh air, I can’t sleep,” Xey continued, casting a glance at the stars above. Unus nodded, letting out a breath.

“Neither can I. It’s hard to sleep on another planet,” 

“I agree.”

The beings went quiet as they both inhaled and exhaled the new air. The uneasy tension didn’t seem to exist out in the open air, and Unus briefly smiled at that fact.

“Are you missing home yet?” They asked, looking over. Annus startled a bit and caught their gaze.

“Kind of, you?”

“Yeah.” Unus’ chest tightened a little, regretting their last words to their mother. They forgot to say goodbye.

“I know we won’t be killing each other, or anything that serious,” Annus spoke up, xyr voice soft. “But I can’t help but feel like I’m never going home.” Unus looked over again and furrowed their eyebrows, shocked at how similarly they felt.

“So do I, actually. It’s weird. I entered this competition thinking only about the prize, not really about what it was, or who I’d be fighting.”

“Yeah. I know I’m over exaggerating, but it's not the best feeling.”

Annus moved closer, pointing up at the stars. 

“But at least here and now, we’ve got time.” 

“We’ll always have time, Annus.” Annus looked back at Unus and smiled. 

“Yeah, we do.”

The beings knew that this friendliness wouldn’t last after this, the stars and moon a countdown until they had to face reality. It was comforting to know that they both shared the same fears of this future. But under the pressure of the competition, their tentative friendship would be torn to bits… no pun intended.


	3. Rapiers And Instructions

Unus awoke to the smell of toast and coffee, their room still as dark as the night before. Clutching their blankets closer, Unus sank lower into the mattress, ignoring the sound of Peebles calling for them to breakfast. They had no intention of training this early, peeking at the glowing red numbers next to their head, reading eight forty-five. 

“Unus, you’d better be dressed in fifteen minutes!” 

The being groaned heavily, throwing back the covers in a huff. Set on the nightstand was a clean pair of shorts and a t-shirt, both black, along with a glass of water. Unus sighed contentedly as their fingers brushed against the damp, cold cup and raised it to their lips to drain the contents. It was a nice contrast to the stuffy room they’d slept in.

Unus remembered the previous night on the roof next to Annus. They couldn’t quite recall when they’d come back to this room, but it had to have been near dawn. 

They set down the empty glass and changed quickly before joining Peebles in the hallway. 

“How did you sleep?” She asked, taking their arm and leading them down to a spacious dining room. 

“Fine, thanks,” Unus replied, catching sight of Annus at the table. Xey looked up and cast a small smile at the other. Xey were dressed similarly but in a starkly contrasting white. 

“You both will be training for the next few days before the battle, so I hope you use that time wisely,” Peebles announced, gesturing to the seat beside Annus for Unus to sit. 

They nodded and pulled out the chair to sit down. 

“So… how do we train exactly?” Unus spoke up suddenly. Peebles paused for a moment and smiled.

“Do you understand how this battle works, Unus?” 

“Not the specifics,” They admitted, ignoring the quiet chuckle that Annus had emitted. Peebles nodded.

“The Centenary Intergalactic Battle is an event in which two beings battle for an extended period of time with only a few weapons of your choice and your wits,” Peebles began, taking a seat across from Unus and Annus. “This battle was created as a friendly competition when the universe was created, as a way to keep the peace between the newly formed universe’s nations.” 

As Peebles continued explaining the origins of this event and the training scheme, a tray floated through a door to their left, carrying a small silver container, gliding over to rest on the table next to Annus.

Xey unscrewed the cap, tilting it upside down so that its contents spilled into xyr hand. It was a small grey pill that looked rather unpleasant and grainy. Without taking as sort of drink beforehand, Annus knocked the pill back, visibly cringing. 

“I get headaches,” was all xey said when catching Unus staring at them. Frown lines in xyr forehead that Unus hadn’t noticed at first disappeared and Annus seemed to sink lower in xyr chair. That pill must have gotten rid of one hell of a headache. 

\--  **_memento mori_ ** \--

The metal door clanged shut behind Unus just after they stepped into the spacious training room. The sound startled the being and they jerked away from the metal. After casting a disgruntled glance backwards, Unus surveyed the seemingly empty room.

“What do they expect me to do?” They muttered to themself. As they uttered the last word, as if on command, an array of weapons and targets were revealed. Mannequins rose from the floor, hidden shelves slid open. The sudden rustle and clang came to an abrupt halt and Unus smiled.

Another shelf seemed to pull their attention as they rushed over to the far side of the training room. 

The room was spacious, almost three times the size of their house back home, and its walls seemed almost translucent and feeble despite being twenty feet underground. 

Unus stopped in front of an array of almost comically large swords. Their eyes swept across the assortment of sharp metals before spotting the one they were looking for. A rapier sword. 

The blade was curved ever so slightly, the sharp ends almost invisible. The entire body of the sword was half the size of them as they wrapped a firm hand around the broad hilt. The metal was slender and seemed to glide through the air like a bird, despite its heft.

Smiling in satisfaction, Unus gripped the fresh leather hilt and took off running with the blade pointed back. Eyes locked on a small mannequin, Unus took a flying leap at it, suspended in the air far longer than could be explained logically. 

They swung the rapier forward with deadly precision, the blade blurring through the air and slicing through the soft mannequin material. Unus landed on their feet lightly with their fingers grazing the ground for balance. The sound of its head falling to the ground made Unus smile. 

Straightening up, they placed their free hand on the hilt as well to feel it shift under their touch. In one quick twist, the hilt didn’t unscrew but did something impossible.

The rapier’s blade thickened and grew three times larger, resembling a comically large broadsword. It was still just as deadly and sharp looking. 

“Oh fuck yeah,” Unus breathed in glee, brushing a finger over the gleaming metal. 

Unus had always been a swordsman and the sight of this magnificently huge interchangeable blade filled them with excitement, like a child during the holidays.

There was a shuffle behind them and suddenly they whipped around, blade at the ready. 

“Oh what the hell.” 

The mannequins were alive. Blank bodied and faced figures were slowly shuffling toward them as though they were a horde of zombies. Unus leaped into the air, hurtling towards the dark wooden ceiling. Using their broadsword, they stabbed the soft planks, being sure that they wouldn’t fall into the brainless mass of fabric and plastic, hanging slightly by the hilt. 

Hovering in the air, Unus debated on whether they should try to reach the door and escape or just take the time to kill the bastards. They doubted these things could cause him any damage, but it was more of a hassle than anything. 

Sighing heavily, they wrested the sword out and flew to the other side of the room, perching atop a high shelf. The crowd followed them significantly slower. After a beat, Unus took off again, jumping off the metal shelf and sprinting into the mannequins. Fabric laden plastic figures immediately started to grab at their clothes but were relieved of their hands by the brutal edge of Unus’ sword. The hilt became slightly slippery as they swung without reason or aim, annihilating the figurines by the pairs. 

Kicking the head of one mannequin while driving the blade into the head of another, Unus jumped and spun in the air, taking out the rest as they kicked up a whirlwind of flying plastic bodyparts and miscellaneous weapons. 

The last knife fell to the floor with a resonating clang and the room went silent.

Unus breathed heavily, dropping his sword to the ground as they rested their hands on their knees. 

“Impressive work, Unus,” Peebles spoke up, and they turned a little to see her in the doorway.

“Thanks.”


End file.
